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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

{Store Feature} monsieur minouchet

Catherine Dupont emailed me in June of 2008. I actually know the exact date because I haven't thrown any of her emails away. She was inquiring about carrying my products in a store that she was lovingly creating called monsieur minouchet. Her emails were so warm and friendly. At the time, Sayer was 5 months and I was still trying to figure the whole, new mommy/ small biz owner thing out. She was kind and patient and shared a little bit about her son Adrien, who was 18 months at the time. I don't remember everything in her first order, but there were a lot of plush kitties & owls.

Right after Catherine received her klt:boxes, she sent me some pictures of Adrien & Ollie Owl that melted my heart. Adrien had adopted Ollie Owl immediately. He slept with him and took him everywhere. I believe she told me that Ollie even had a spot at the breakfast table next to Adrien! Needless to say, I was pleased to hear that Ollie was receiving so much love in Belgium. I also remember looking at the pictures of Adrien and wondering when Sayer was going to be able to walk and carry around one of my plushies like that.

When monsieur minouchet officially opened I spent a long time looking through all of Catherine's beautifully curated treasures. I love her style, taste, and the fact that she uses Adrien as a model. Her photos are always clever and show a peek into her life. I find that she and I are drawn to similar brands and designers. She carries a large variety of a local favorite of mine, Kate Quinn Organics. I have pictures of Sayer in that same shirt (except green). I also use Sayer as my model and I enjoy seeing photos of both Adrien & Sayer over time. It is a great way to document how fast they grow. I also get to see some of my klt:works tees on Adrien which is always fun! It appears that Adrien and Sayer share a love of Thomas the Train, cars, and garbage trucks too .

Along with having a similar aesthetic, Catherine and I enjoy sharing music, movie, & book recommendations. We developed a friendship that I truly value over the last 2 years. She is my international pen pal with a keen wit and sense of style. I have the goal of one day meeting her in person and visiting Belgium. I have never been to Europe and so far I have been living through my critters and the interesting people that they bring my way. I have received some pretty fantastic parcels from Catherine over the years as well - including a few things found in her store like this wonderful soap & a print by Blanca Gomez- cosas minimas .

Catherine just received her latest klt:boxes a few days ago and she sent me this sweet photo of Adrien sleeping with the new little critter that he adopted, a bulldog plushie. I have to say, it is nice to have klt:works represented in such a beautiful shop, but the best part has been meeting Catherine. So, if you are proficient in French, live near Belgium, or just want to visit a thoughtfully curated shop, stop by monsieur minouchet. Catherine also has a blog where she often shares yummy recipes that she finds and includes beautiful pictures of things found in her garden and on her travels. If you are like me and don't speak french this is a very helpful tool . Enjoy!

I love her store! Just like i love your plushies. I always love to hear these type of stories of where friendships begin because most times, ppl don't really remember the beginning. Only happy that the friendship is there! Oh you two are my inspiration! I so want to let go the rat-race and join the creative process and start my own biz. Kristin, thanks for sharing this.. Isn't it fun to see your plushies living abroad & being loved by all these kiddies?